


Unbroken memories are saviors

by SecretTimeIsHere



Series: Things happen bingo [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dreamtale (Undertale), Dreamtale, M/M, XTale, antivoid, ship kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-12 00:51:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19937314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretTimeIsHere/pseuds/SecretTimeIsHere
Summary: Bad things happen bingo prompt: Memory loss and BrainwashingGood things happen bingo prompt: Unbreakable bond and Save me“Now, Cross. Your game of dollhouse is done. Your. Time. Is. Up. You need to let Ink go.” Nightmare finished, his tendrils swaying behind him both contently and threateningly. “It’s time for Ink to choose how to live his life.”Ink had long since gotten up from cuddling with Cross, no longer feeling love for him as he did mere minutes ago. He had felt some weird connection and attraction to this Error guy when he first saw him and now that feeling just grew stronger, his mind hiding the memories with him but the bond and pathway to the skeletons heart still there.Although, despite the new information, he could still feel something for Cross. Although it wasn't as strong anymore like it was only borrowed affection, as if all his memories that he had before with the Error person had been changed so it was Cross instead.He lunged out to the skeleton he chose.





	Unbroken memories are saviors

_He was leaving. Why? Why wouldn't he respond? Why was he running away to his portal?_

_“No! Don’t- Ink!” Ink didn’t react. Did he have to go so drastic? He didn’t want to- but he needed to. He couldn’t be left alone again._

_As he ran over, Ink had just enough time to turn around and look at his friend in the eyes before he felt the knife go through his chest._

_“C-Cross??” Ink stuttered, his body surrendering to the code of the knife, a white but red outlined X violently appearing across his eyes._

_“I’m sorry...”_

Cross jumped up in his bed, startled by the night terror once again. It had become a constant in his life as of late, he knew what it meant, he knew who it was from. It was just that he didn’t want to accept it. His fist curled and started to bunch up the blanket in his hands. It wasn’t just a night terror.

He knew it was wrong to do this. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. Although, he also knew there was no going back. One it was done it was done, he couldn’t help him now if he tried.

Rustling started next to him and he felt boney arms wrap around him, he wanted to pull away -remembering the night terror- but at the same time, he wanted to just hold those arms around him and pull the other close. The latter won.

Cross pulled the arms close to him, turning and clinging to the body trying to comfort him. It was nice to have a warm body next to him, how could it be wrong? Why shouldn’t he let this monster comfort him?

“Another one?” The body he clung to asked, tone caring and loving. This is ~~not~~ wrong. He slowly nodded his head, turning in the embrace once more as he felt the body pull him closer, attempting to cuddle with him again.

They laid down once more and he continued to cling, feeling as if he were to let go, so would the other.

“...Is it my fault?” The body hesitantly asked, his voice low and sorrowful, doubt drowning the words as much as it was the monster who said them.

Cross looked up at the monster who was holding him, seeing the sad and calculating eyes, both of them for once set on staying the same shape. He hushed the monster and started to comfort him instead.

It hurt to know the answer was yes.

\-----

_“Have you learned your lesson yet?”_ Nightmare questioned, his voice stern and almost threatening, even as his body spoke a language of untroubled indifference. The setting quickly went from comfortable to awkward as he spoke that sentence, however, making him the only relaxed one in the room.

“What lesson am I supposed to be learning?” Cross brushed off, picking up his mug of delicious hot chocolate once more, clearly not wanting to discuss the subject further. However, the monochrome failed to realize that the dark King didn’t care.

“That what you’re doing is wrong and beyond sick; even for me.” The guardian reminded, not taking his eye off Cross; waiting for a reaction of any kind.

“Are we going to go through this again?”

“If need be, then _yes_. He-”

“Go through what again?” A new voice interrupted, making both skeletons shift their eyes to the newcomer. Ink was standing in the doorway, a concerned look on his face, clearly expressed by his eyes.

“It’s nothing Inky, just going through this new training that Nightmare is trying to recommend me is all.” Cross lied, knowing Ink would easily believe him, it was something Nightmare did do every now and again.

“If you wanna do it, that’s fine, just make sure you get home in one piece, I don’t fancy taking care of a skeleton stuck to bed rest. We can barely take care of ourselves as it is.” The artist humored as he walked over to the still-hot kettle to refill his tea, giving a quick peck to Cross’ skull.

“Of course, but the same goes for you. I don’t wanna come home to a room covered in paint.” Cross remarked back, quickly feeling at ease again. How could he not? Ink made it so easy to feel loved and happy.

“I told you that was an accident!” Ink laughed, remembering the event. It’s not like he meant to do it!

Nightmare just sat still through their banter, staring daggers at Cross, although neither noticed. The dark king excused himself, fed up with the monochrome skeleton and his behavior.

What he did couldn’t be forgotten, much less forgiven. It’s why Cross was no longer in the mansion with him, as he told the skeleton earlier, what he did was beyond sick. Not a single person in the gang could handle or even deal with what he had done.

Cross was lucky Ink could create a solid structure with ease, otherwise, they’d both be out of a home right now. The happy -if you could even call it that- couple owned a small home just on the edge of Nightmare’s large plot of land. Nightmare couldn’t lose Cross completely, considering he was still a hard worker on their team, but he had been lost as a friend.

He hoped one day that maybe, just maybe Cross would learn and accept what he did was wrong, and let Ink go- it’s the reason he gave the skeleton constant Night terror’s. A reminder of the deed he has done, a little voice yelling at him to take the stand for his actions. The former guard was strong physically, but that doesn’t stop him from being a coward.

That wasn’t Ink. They didn’t like Ink in the first place, but no one deserved that. Not even Dream, his sworn enemy for centuries now.

\-----

“Kiki!” A glitching skeleton jumped at him, crying and hugging him.

“Um… who’s that?” He hesitantly asked, not knowing who in the world this person was before him.

The skeleton looked up at him, his eye sockets lopsided, one large and the other small. The smaller one holding a lone white pupil and the larger holding a triple circle, one ring of yellow another of blue and a center of black, a background of red standing out behind it all.

The eyes were entrancing, but he could still hear the sobs as the skeleton in front of him spoke out “You… don’t remember me? I’m your husband Ink!”

“Well… that’s my name, but I have a boyfriend, mister.” Ink explained, the skeleton in front of him let go of the tight hug. “I hope you find your Ink though!”

“You are my Ink though! You really don’t remember me? We’ve been together for years! What about PJ? Do you not even remember him?” Error pleaded, growing more confused and desperate.

“I only now Cross and Nightmare, Sorry I can’t help you more.” Ink gave a comforting smile as a skeleton started to appear next to him. “Speak of the devil, Hi Night!” Ink waved, looking at the dark king next to him.

Nightmare sighed, realizing what happened. There wasn’t much to go off of, but a teary-eyed and desperate looking Destroyer accompanied by an oblivious artist was all he really needed.

“Ink, what has the skeleton in front of you told you so far?”

“He’s called me ‘Kiki’ and Ink, talked nonsense about me being his husband or something and mentioned some guy named PJ. Why?” Ink answered, confused.

Nightmare quickly took Ink and Error’s hands and teleported the three of them back to Cross’ home which said skeleton was.

“Hi C! I’m back!” Ink greeted, still oblivious to the situation at hand, and ran over to his lover, giving a skele kiss to the monochrome’s forehead. Although, since Cross had been relaxing on the couch and had not been expecting it, they both fell back into a laughing heap.

If only look’s could kill, Error would have slaughtered Cross.

“Cross,” Nightmare’s voice echoed over the couple’s laughter, catching their attention, “You’re times up.” The negative guardian's voice dripped and drowned in a mix of hatred and delight as he stepped aside to let the monochrome see Error, who was steadily growing angrier and angrier by the miniature.

“What’s Error got to do with this?” Cross asked, his voice cold as he pulled and hugged Ink close and protectively.

“I have a lot to do with it you _abomination_.” Cross looked from Nightmare to Error, and then back again once he heard the dark king speak again.

“You just so happen to not know of a little secret that’s been well kept for years now. Even longer than your little secret.” Nightmare explained, “You see, about maybe seven years or so ago, Error and Ink had gotten married by yours truly, this happened all because of the event of finding a child made of their own magic wandering around the void.

“The two of them started to care for the child that called himself PJ, and they ended up falling in love in the process accidentally. Although, not even a year after they got married, you, Cross, had found Ink while doing the spy work that I had requested of you- and as your Night terrors remind you every night; you confessed to Ink and when he tried to leave without an answer, you used your hack knife to take over his body.

“You kept him as a sick possession for the next few years until you were brave enough to give Ink back his free will, however, because he was kept under your control for so long, he lost all of his memory. You retaught him everything and brainwashed him into believing you are the only one for him. The two of you know the rest.

“Now, Cross. Your game of dollhouse is done. Your. Time. Is. Up. You need to let Ink go.” Nightmare finished, his tendrils swaying behind him both contently and threateningly. “It’s time for Ink to choose how to live his life.”

Ink had long since gotten up from cuddling with Cross, no longer feeling love for him as he did mere minutes ago. He had felt some weird connection and attraction to this Error guy when he first saw him and now that feeling just grew stronger, his mind hiding the memories with him but the bond and pathway to the skeletons heart still there.

Although, despite the new information, he could still feel something for Cross. Although it wasn't as strong anymore like it was only borrowed affection, as if all his memories that he had before with the Error person had been changed so it was Cross instead. 

He lunged out to the skeleton he chose.

“Save me, _please_.”

\-----

Cuddling into his lover of choice further, he felt like everything was real for once. There had always been an underlying feeling that something wasn’t right, or that everything was wrong, but he had just ignored it. Now, he couldn’t ignore how right everything felt. Falling asleep into the warm body he lay on as his lover talked on and on, telling him story after story.

The fireplace crackled in the background as another voice chimed in every once and a while, adding more detail and excitement to the book of memories they were giving him. His conscious went blank as he felt happy emotions drift around him and in the air.

“Is dad gonna be okay pops?” Pj asked after seeing his “dad” fall asleep, however, he could see the smile take its place on the artist’s face.

“Don’t worry, he’s going to be fine. We all will.”


End file.
